Maybe now that the Super Bowl is less than a week away, it's time to get some serious answers about the Game.

We'll continue to hear about all the other issues again this week. How much has the announced retirement of Ray Lewis lifted the Ravens? Which son will Jack and Jackie cheer for? Has Purple Mania taken over The Big Easy?

Here is perhaps the top question: Can the Ravens stop San Francisco and the pistol offense?

"Part of dealing with the offense in the regular season is the lack of preparation," said Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis, the architect of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl defense. "You don't see it all the time, so it eats up seven or eight minutes of your walk-thru practice, and then you have to spend more time with it in other areas.

"I don't know how John (Harbaugh) is preparing his team, but usually you put everything in before you get (to the Super Bowl), and then you have time to reflect and fine tune leading up to the game. The two weeks in between the game helps the Ravens. I don't see them having a problem with it as far as prep time."

We'll see.

Just about everybody else did during the regular season.

The 49ers were ranked No. 11 in the NFL in offense at 361.8 yards per game, and fourth in rushing at 155.7. They were third with 26 drives of five minutes or more and second with 81 runs of 10 or more yards.

During the regular season, in which he started the last seven games, he completed 136 of 218 passes for 1,814 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the postseason, he has completed 33 of 52 passes for 496 yards, three touchdowns and had just one interception. He also has rushed 18 times for 202 yards.

Wow.

"They are two different quarterbacks," Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said when asked to compare Kaepernick and Washington's Robert Griffin III. "They're both great. They're probably the only two quarterbacks in the league that can run that offense. But I don't know, I guess we'll see how we fare come Feb. 3."

The pistol offense has been around the NFL for a couple of years. Besides Washington, the Carolina Panthers have run it with Cam Newton, and the Pittsburgh Steelers also have tinkered with it.

The offense was devised eight years ago by Nevada head coach Chris Ault. It's a combination of the traditional shotgun and single-back formation where the quarterback lines up 3-to-4 yards behind the center and the running back is 3 or 4 yards behind the quarterback.

You have the option to run or pass, and the read-option running plays cause aggressive defenses to become slower. Teams are running more pre-snap motion with it and the offense is tailor-made for a quarterback who is athletic, instead of merely an athletic quarterback.

"First and foremost, you have to have an athletic quarterback who has great mobility and is great in his decision making," said former Maryland head coach Mark Duffner, who is Jacksonville's linebackers coach. "Then you need to have backs with good hands and vision, and receivers who can block on the perimeter.

"Defensively, you have to have somebody who can play the dive, the quarterback, the pitch and all that stuff. This offense causes you to taper down your packages because you have to be disciplined and so assignment proof. You just don't see it often so it is harder on you."

When the Ravens faced this offense against Washington this season, they allowed 359 yards of total offense, including 186 rushing. Most of the damage came in the Redskins' first two possessions.

"Hopefully, we try to eliminate some of the negative things that we did in both of those games," Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said.

San Francisco is more talented than Washington and Philadelphia. The 49ers have a physically dominating offensive line, a multitalented quarterback, a tough runner and two clutch receivers.

There is one thing for certain with the pistol: It's going to be around for a short while.

"It's here, and now I think you will see more defensive coordinators spend more time during the offseason working on it and getting more players on board as far as stopping it," Marvin Lewis said. "Once that happens, I think it will go the way of the run and shoot.

"Plus, I'm not sure everybody wants to see their quarterback take the beatings every week."